


Blood Makes Noise

by Keyanna



Category: Birds of Prey (Comic)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Requited Love, Suicide Attempt, Trauma, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2013-09-24
Packaged: 2017-12-27 12:11:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/978706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keyanna/pseuds/Keyanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles featuring Savant and Creote, my favorite recurring characters in this series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Russia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set at some point during issues #104 through #107 of Birds of Prey, when Creote is off helping the team with a mission in Russia. Timeline-wise, it’s been more than a year since Brian was tortured.

 

Creote was...somewhere else. In Russia, Brian thought he remembered. Had he hired Creote yet? He’d found his friend and bodyguard at a bar in Russia, so perhaps they hadn’t met if Creote was there now. When was this? Things were becoming more difficult to keep straight than usual. Brian was sure he could figure it out if he could just stop looking up to find Hellhound standing in front of him, knife in hand. Remembering things was always easier when he had Creote with him. Brian hoped he was going to hire the man soon.

 

 

 


	2. No Need to Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during Birds of Prey #88

_“Savant’ll be okay.”_

 

Savant knew Miss Lance was wrong when she said that. He wasn’t okay. Hadn’t been. Wouldn’t be. Savant knew himself fairly well these days, certainly better than she did. He didn’t forget the _what_ of things, just the _when_ , so he could say with authority who and how he’d be.

 

Brian knew what being okay was but he couldn’t remember what it felt like anymore.

 


	3. Failing/Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Set shortly before the events of End Run (Birds of Prey vol. 2 #1-4), so this piece includes mention of a planned suicide attempt (no details) and the PoV character agreeing to passively assist with it. I am not endorsing Creote’s thinking, and as those who have read this story arc know, Creote will ultimately break the promise he makes here.

Savant is getting worse.

 

Creote tries finding him new projects, files to fill on every cape and mask they’ve ever heard of. Savant completes them all with a mechanical dullness in place of his former triumphant panache.

 

Creote stops going out on jobs, hoping his presence will help stabilize Savant. It doesn’t.

 

All Creote can do is stand there and watch as the man who means the world to him ~~shatters~~ fractures into pieces. And so when White Canary and the Penguin ooze in with their scheme for vengeance, when Savant comes up with a plan of his own to escape the hell he’s been trapped in and asks for Creote’s help – for Creote’s promise to let him go – all Creote can say is yes.

 

Because he’s failed Savant too many times already.

 


	4. Swallow the Light from the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place a little while before the events of “End Run” (Birds of Prey vol. 2, #1-4).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: As with last chapter, deals obliquely with a planned suicide attempt and another person enabling it.

“I need them to stop, Creote,” Savant said quietly. His words broke the stillness of the rooftop like pigeons taking flight. “I need to _forget_.”

 

It was just past four o’clock on yet another sleepless night.

 

Creote looked over at his companion. Savant’s eyes were haunted but his face was set.

 

“What can I do to help you, sir?” he asked.

 

Savant took a long moment before responding, long enough that Creote worried he had lost the thread of conversation already. But then –

 

“Promise me that when it’s time, you won’t interfere.”

 


	5. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brief missing scene for Birds of Prey #68 – Creote getting out of Blackgate Prison

When the van doors open to Savant’s smiling face, Creote can hardly believe his eyes. The men had said that’s who they were taking him to, of course, but honestly Creote had expected the ride to end with a bullet in his brain and a shallow roadside grave.

 

But he hadn’t resisted. Because there was always the slimmest of chances they were telling the truth, and Creote was willing to risk anything if it might get him back to Savant’s side.

 

And they had cuffed his hands in front of him. If the situation had begun to look truly dire, Creote had full confidence in his ability to take down four armed guards before any of them could get a shot off.


	6. Cared For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set at some point after the events of End Run, once Savant and Creote have become a couple. For obvious reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Brian calling Creote “Sasha” (a common nickname for Aleksandr, Creote’s first name) comes from the brilliant DangerousCommieSubversive.

One of Brian’s favorite sexual positions was when he was seated in Creote’s lap, back resting against chest, his lover’s massive legs bracketing his own as Brian fucked himself slowly on the other man’s cock.

 

He loved the feeling of being surrounded by Creote, enveloped in his arms as the man’s hands caressed every inch of Brian they could reach, of Creote’s breath huffing against his neck with each moan or exclamation, voice a low, deep rumble.

 

Cradled like this by his Sasha’s enormous strength and utter devotion, Brian had never felt safer or more loved.

 


	7. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A snippet of Brian’s PoV when he reports back to Oracle after his mission “betraying” her to Calculator in vol. 2 #7. Opening quote taken directly from the comics.

_“At ease, Batman. He’s one of us.”_

 

Brian didn’t think he could find the words to tell Barbara how much that matter-of-fact statement had meant to him.

 

More than anything she’d said to him, her reassurance that he’d done well even if the Calculator hadn’t bought his bit of acting. Perhaps even more than her giving him the mission in the first place.

 

 _One of us_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter prompted my favorite response ever from my beta, DangerousCommieSubversive: "Savant. _Savant._ You _adorable bastard_."


	8. Earning (Back) Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Babs’s PoV during the same scene as “Belonging”

In spite of Brian’s doubts, Barbara suspected Calculator had swallowed their bait. The man could sometimes be a master at seeing only what he wanted.

 

And Brian’s undercover skills really had improved substantially, though Barbara didn’t want to think about how much of that was due to two years of pretending he was fine while breaking apart inside. Another item on her long list of failures. But at least here she was lucky enough to get a second chance.

 

She heard the uncertain note in his voice, saw the tension lining his shoulders and the vulnerability of his bowed head. Brian had accomplished one hell of a thing facing down the man who’d had him tortured, much less doing it under the guise of willingly selling out Oracle.

 

So she was going to make damn sure he knew it too.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I owe a huge debt of thanks to my fabulous beta, DangerousCommieSubversive, for her assistance, encouragement, and support. If you haven't read her stuff yet, go do so right now! I'll wait.


End file.
